


Neo-Disneyland

by echoingback



Category: Neoscum (Podcast), Shadowrun
Genre: Disney World & Disneyland, Happy times, they're going to didney
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-01 17:23:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15148118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/echoingback/pseuds/echoingback
Summary: “Look- I’m just a little worried because there’s going to be metal detectors and I kind of can’t just take off my--” Tech Wizard fretted, gesturing down at his crotch. Three pairs of eyes trailed down to look at where the infamous robo-hog was.the crew goes to disney! they deserve it





	Neo-Disneyland

Just kidding, it’s still Disneyland.

What? Did you seriously expect the fucking _Walt Disney_ company to go down in the bullshit that happens in Shadowrun?

The parks are bigger and better than ever, and just as expensive. If it wasn’t for the fact they had a friend on the inside, the sheer thought of the Neoscum group going to Disneyland would put them in debt.

Thankfully, Dak’s endless amount of connections helped them out. He apparently knew some dwarf who’s worked their way into the higher ups, and managed to let the group have some time in the park. Needless to say, they were pretty excited.

Xanadu had its own special section in a parking lot, albeit a little far away from the entrance. That was all fine though, since it gave the group time to chat. And, boy, did they like to talk.

“Look- I’m just a little worried because there’s going to be metal detectors and I kind of can’t just take off my--” Tech Wizard fretted, gesturing down at his crotch. Three pairs of eyes trailed down to look at where the infamous robo-hog was, but Zenith was the first to respond.

He put his hand on Tech’s shoulder, shaking his head. “We’ll be fine. They have to get deckers coming in here, so maybe they have a special protocol for it.” Zenith would be lying if he didn’t think about this himself, and he would’ve checked the matrix for just what kind of metal detectors they had-- but the entire park seems to be a blank spot for him. Well, one of the richest companies in the world would probably have at least decent security.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it! They can’t forbid entry because you have… cyberware.” Pox chose her words very carefully, but anyone could hear the laughter bubbling up at the end of the sentence. Tech frowned, but listened to their reassurances nonetheless.

Dak, however, was a little behind the group as he was rapidly trying to find the messages his friend had sent him about where they enter at. The dwarf knew that Dak and his friends wouldn’t want to bother with metal detectors, and they’d probably cause a bit of a scene in the general admissions area. It took a bit to get to his messages, especially with all the notifications his seven pages of apps (which still cause Zenith anguish, to this day) seem to be giving him, but he got there eventually.

“Z, can you find wherever the hell Surley told us to go? I have the directions on my comm.” He held out the device to the decker, and Z took no time at all mapping out the area on his oculardrone. The park still had maps available, which meant he wasn’t completely in the dark.

They all paused to look up at the holographic map, and their eyes followed a dotted line that was meant to show them where to go. It was a little away from the normal entrance, but wouldn’t be too hard to find. The chatter continued, now that they were heading in the right direction

“According to the messages,” Zenith began. “we’re also staying for a… Mickey’s Halloween party? He said there’d be a ton of candy and-” He was abruptly cut off as a hand grabbed his arm, and he didn’t have to look over to tell it was Pox. Slowly turning his head, he met her very interested eyes. This is how it usually was when they mentioned candy. He cleared his throat and continued. “It starts at 7 PM. They give us all bags and we can go through these treat lines to get candy.” The elf practically vibrated at the news, and her grip on Zenith’s arm got impossibly tight before she let go. Pox was very, very happy.

Chatter of a crowd was now surrounding them, and the view was already… astonishing, really. They have all been to some very dark places, and the atmosphere of the entrance was a lot different than what any of them were used to. It was bright, with cute halloween decorations everywhere. Dwarves, elves, any metatype would could think of were taking pictures together in front of the train station and the flowers. No one looked upset- and it would be creepy if it wasn’t so obviously genuine.

A warm feeling began to bloom in Tech’s chest, and he was more than ready to enter the park. Everything felt magical- in a better way than it did in Denver. He felt like he was going to be accepted, like he was safe. What kind of magic did this place manifest to make him feel like that? Tech wondered if it really was magic.

The group couldn’t stand in awe for long, because more people were coming up and they needed to be elsewhere. Zenith continued to lead them, but even he was a little excited. He… never really had much of a childhood (not one that he can remember, at least) and the park was making something in him feel fuzzy. It was weird, but not bad.

They pushed their way out of the crowd and to a door that had an employee standing in front of it. It was a tall human, and when they saw the group, they smiled and opened the door for them.

“Guess they were prepared.” Zenith murmured, allowing Dak to take the lead. The door lead to a pretty short hallway, and the employee held up a hand for them to stop. After heading into a door on the right, they came back out with a handful of buttons. They were decorated with little sayings like “1st visit”, “Happy Birthday”, “Happily Ever After”, etc.

“What are these for?” Pox blinked, but was already taking one of each to put on her coat.

The employee smiled, and once they had handed at least one to all of them, they spoke. “Cast members- the people who work here- will see you wearing them and congratulate you. If you sit down and eat somewhere, there’s a good chance they’ll give you a little something extra for it too.”

Dak Rambo will never ever turn down something free. He grinned, already pinning the “1st visit” button onto his ripped up denim jacket. Pox was settling for putting every button on her person, and Tech just went for the “1st visit” one too. Zenith stared at the buttons for a little longer, and decided to wear birthday one. What? Not the first time they’ve pretended it was his birthday.

After getting a couple more things (a ticket card, maps, etc), it was finally time for them to enter the park. The anticipation between the four of them was almost tangible, and the second they stepped into Main Street? They were blown away.

The first thing to notice was the smell. Everything smelled _amazing_. It was sweet, and fresh. Like vanilla, almost. Pox immediately tried to look around for the source of the smell, knowing whatever it was must have candy and she _needed_ candy. If it wasn’t for the crowds, she would’ve ran off like a bloodhound.

That magical feeling Tech felt at the entrance was blossoming into so much more- it was almost overwhelming. There was this energy that he couldn’t get enough of. It was a high, but he doesn’t think it’ll hurt him like a drug would. He could get addicted to this, if he wasn’t already.

Dak and Zenith were amazed too, but they still seemed a little wary. This couldn’t be as perfect as it seemed, right? No place like this could exist without there behind something bad behind the scenes.

No matter, Disneyland was still huge. So, it’s time to get started on exploring.

~~*~~

They didn’t get very far. After getting a picture in front of the big Mickey Pumpkin, Pox spotted the Candy Palace. It was a normal styled building, but it was the source of the sweet smell that was in the air. And, well, she refused to go anywhere else until they went inside. It was brightly lit and there were sweets everywhere. Caramel popcorn, lollipops, taffy, decorated apples? You name it, they probably had it.

You know the phrase, like a kid free in a candy store? Yeah, that’s nothing compared to letting Pox into a candy store. She never stayed in one place, always speed-walking to the next thing that caught her interest. Every now and again, you could see her glance around before shoving some candy into her pockets.

The one thing that got her to stop were the cast members behind the glass making the sweets. Pox was practically drooling as she watched, not even noticing the rest of the group walking up behind her. The person who was making the sweets was a broad male orc, and the pastel colors of his uniform didn’t fit the focused- intimidating- look on his face.

After a minute or two of watching, the orc looked up and noticed the group. It seemed he also noticed their buttons. The scary look melted away as he smiled, and went to the side to gesture them over. They followed, and what he gave them sort of blew their mind. They were little cake pops, made to look like mickey shaped pumpkins. Pox’s eyes went wide, and looked between the food and the orc.

He kept his smile, waving them along. “They’re free. Have an amazing first visit, okay?”

The group could barely believe what they were hearing. Free food. It wasn’t a lot, but still! This was amazing! Pox could barely contain herself- she wanted to down the cake pop immediately, but shouldn’t she save something like this??

Her instinct got the better of her, and as they were walking out of the store, she chomped down on it. One bite was all it took. It tasted really, really good, and it took every will in her being not to go back and take more.

As she willed herself to walk, Pox felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to Zenith holding out the one he got.

“Here. Don’t really want it.” He was curt and simple about it, but if you paid attention, you could see him smile at how happy the offer made Pox. She took it, and they carried on quietly. That was the kind of friendship they had, and he enjoyed it.

Zenith was warming up more to the park, and the fuzzy feeling kept coming back. There was some part of him that wanted to run ahead and look at everything, ask questions and really enjoy himself. He doesn’t feel like that often, if at all. Was it magic, something wrong with his cyberware? He didn’t know. Z didn’t say anything about it, just followed Dak and the others as they found the entrance to something called “Adventureland.”

The theming transitions well, and instead of a bustling street, they found themselves in a flourishing environment. Animals could be heard as if they were hiding in the flora, and the music was different here. But Dak wasn’t paying attention to any of that. There was obviously something he was heading for, and he wasn’t going to stop for shit until he got there. Tech tried to look over Dak’s shoulder, but it’s difficult given their height difference.

“Dak, where are we going?” He finally spoke up, trying to tug on Dak’s swole arm. The trucker turned around, and pointed at the mansion-esc house on the map. It was in a land close by.

“It’s called the Haunted Mansion. We’re going to kick some ghost ass.” He was almost too confident, and began leading them again. The other three didn’t protest, but they’re beginning to wonder if Dak knows that there’s not going to be any actual ghosts inside.

~~*~~  
They had only gone through the room with all the portraits and Tech Wizard was already sort of scared. He doesn’t do well with loud noises or creepy things, so a sudden scream being played? Yeah, he was a little shaken up from it.

The four of them were guided along to the ride vehicles, or “buggies”. Zenith and Pox stepped onto the moving platform first, deciding to leave Tech to deal with the ready to brawl Dak Rambo. He didn’t think a lot about it as he went towards the next buggy, and felt a little safer when Dak’s larger body scooted in next to him. It’s good to have a friend around.

The safety bar lowered, (hopefully) keeping Dak from getting out and trying to punch something. The two of them squirmed for a moment to get comfortable, the voice of the “Ghost Host” telling them to stay in the buggy and that they can’t take pictures with the flash on.

It was a slow ride, with the voice narrating as they began to go through the mansion. Tech couldn’t pretend he didn’t shiver when air was blown onto him- likely an effect to go along with the “running chills” line that was said. Dak didn’t seem too bothered, and he couldn’t see Z and Pox very well.

The next thing they went by was a coffin adorned in cobwebs and flowers, with hands pushing up on the top. It would’ve been creepy, if there wasn’t a high pitched voice saying “Let me outta here!” over and over again. Tech smiled at that, hoping the rest of the ride was like it. He could handle goofy scary.

Moving backwards down a hallway, the only thing he could hear was the sound of door knobs twisting. They went past a numerous amount of doors, some even had things pushing on the other side. All the noises made him a little nervous, and he leaned back.

As he did so, the buggy turned again.

This time it was a clock, the hands continuously going around and around as a shadow of a claw flashed over it. A bit of a cliche, but Tech didn’t like the ticking. Man, was he the only one nervous in here? He looked over at Dak, who was grinning. The trucker didn’t seemed bothered at all, just excited to see what else the ride had to offer.

When Tech looked back, they were in a large room with a floating crystal ball in the middle. A woman’s head- fake, but realistic enough- was inside it, calling for the ghosts to contact her through instruments or a telephone. This didn’t bother him too much, and he was relaxing as the voice of the Ghost Host came back. Apparently the spirits heard of their arrival, and were ready to throw a party for it.

They slowly went by the scene of a large dining room, and ghosts were seen dancing and flying around. It was nice, and Tech smiled as he looked around at everything.

He kept smiling until they got to the next turn. The decor had changed into what appeared to be an attic, full of antique furniture and cobwebs. They were greeted with a painted portrait of a wife and her husband, but as they moved, the head of the husband disappeared. Tech shivered again.

The same kind of portrait appeared, the same woman with a different man. He lost his head too.

Another went by when they finally made it to the ghostly bride herself. It was a statue, or some kind of animatronic, yet it still made Tech nervous. A hatchet could be seen shining in her grip.

He sighed in relief when they finally left that part of the ride. To his right, he caught a glimpse of different sort of ghost. It was a smiling man, holding what appeared to be a hatbox? And after staring long enough, he watched as the ghost’s head appeared in said hatbox. Wicked.

Most of the ride was pretty smooth after that. The graveyard scene wasn’t that scary, and he even felt himself nod his head to the music. It was catchy. Then there was the mirrors, and boy, did Dak get a kick out of that.

The “hitchhiking ghost” switched the both of their faces, and while the projection wasn’t perfect in the mirror, it still made both of them laugh. The ride ended with both of them smiling, and it felt nice to meet up with Zenith and Pox as they got out of the buggy. The group gave their feelings on the ride, and Tech was glad to hear that Zenith thought the ghost bride was weird too.

It wasn’t long until they were outside again, air a lot warmer than it was in the attraction. Dak already had a map out, hunting his next target. Who knows what he would want to do next.

~~*~~

Yeah, none of them really expected to be caught in a meet & greet with one of the characters. Especially… not the Mad Hatter. Everyone knew the story of Neo Alice in Wonderland, but Dak seemed very adamant on talking to this guy. Zenith felt bad for the person behind the costume. They didn’t deserve to be taken on by this group of misfits.

Z watched as Dak started to hound this guy, but the actor was in character. He responded to all the quips with ease, and even threw some back at Dak. Finally, the trucker was satisfied. He let Zenith take a picture, but turned to whisper something in the Hatter’s ear. Oh, lord. Making a mental note to ask him about it once they were gone, he took a picture of Tech and Pox with the character as well. The cast member beside him asked if he’d like to get a picture, and the fuzzy feeling came back. He sort of wanted to… But no. Zenith shook his head, and walked off to meet his friends.

“Dak, what did you say to the Hatter?” Pox asked before Z even got the chance to, and ol’ Dak Rambo didn’t miss a beat.

“I asked if he had any enemies he wanted me to kill.” He said matter-of-factly, puffing out his chest. Pox snorted, shaking her head. “You’ve got to find better things to offer people!”

Dak’s laughter was loud, and he began to pull out the map again. Hm… His eyes landed on Zenith, and he shoved the little brochure into the decker’s hands.

“Pick out something for us to do. Something you want.” He wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

Z furrowed his brow, and opened the map to look. There was a lot. Why did he have to be the one to pick? What about Tech?

He pointed at something they were like, five yards away from. Dak looked at where he pointed, and his grin didn’t falter. “Dumbo the Flying Elephant?”

The trucker turned his head and had to look around for a second before finally pointing at the ride. Now, they march. Or walk, it really didn’t matter.

The line wasn’t long, and they decided it’d probably be more fun if they rode it all separately. Granted, that made Zenith feel even dumber for picking this now. He was sitting in a cute little ride vehicle- it was an elephant with really big ears. The elephant could fly because of them, apparently? That’s not physically possible, but Z isn’t going to judge Dumbo.

Sudden movement made him stiffen, and he looked around as the seat began to rise while the middle spun them around. It wasn’t fast, which he was thankful for. Not that thrill rides aren’t fun, but he didn’t appreciate being dizzy. Z turned his head to see Pox and Dak rapidly changing the heights of their seats, while Tech was busy making sure his hat didn’t fly off. The decker felt himself smile again, and he didn’t feel so bad about picking this ride after all. The breeze was nice.

He was only a little disheartened when the spinning began to slow down and the seats lowered. They unbuckled and hopped out, finding somewhere new to head. The sun was starting to go down too, and a white line was being put on the ground. According to the map, it was for the parade route. Neat.

~~*~~

Going on “it's a small world” was probably the worst idea any of them have ever had. It was cute at first, but then the dolls stopped being cute and the song kept repeating. And repeating.

None of them are going to be able to hear anything else for the next 10 years.

They left the ride in this weird atmosphere, almost as if the music was still playing between them. Zenith was glad he recorded some of the song, because you can definitely count on him blaring it at random times when they're back on the road.

The sky was dark when they came back outside, and they noticed a drop in the amount of people. Pox tilted her head at that, but stopped in her steps. She turned to Zenith.

“What time is it?” She was simple about it, and he raised an eyebrow.

“7:30.”

“...You mean the Halloween party thing started?” Pox was slowly looking the other way. Zenith leaned away.

“Yes.”

And with that, Pox was now racing off to find someone who could give her candy. The rest of them followed as best as they could through the crowd. She was fast and small, so maneuvering through loads of people wasn't hard. However, for someone like Dak Rambo, he had to make sure he didn't all out shove someone to get through.

The bags they were handing out weren't necessarily the largest, but Pox has other places to store candy. All her pockets were handy for this kind of thing. She waited for a second or two for the guys to catch up, and they were now all in this continuously moving line towards large stations of candy.

Boy, did they hand out a lot. The cast members gave out a handful when you got up there, and really, the bags could only hold so much. They were in their third treat line whe Pox just had to start shoving everything in her pockets. Yeah, she was prepared to eat literally all of it they got back into Xanadu.

It was on their way to another land when they noticed that they had worked their way back down to Main Street. The lights were shining on the buildings, and the crowds of people had slowly begun to gather along the sidewalks.

“Is there something happening soon?” Tech wondered aloud, and Z checked the map again.

“The parade is about to go on. Do you guys wanna watch it?” He didn’t really mind either way (in reality, he wanted to see it). Nobody protested it, so they took up some of the empty space on the edge of the sidewalk. They were next to a couple kids, and Dak flashed one of them his signature grin. They smiled back, and waved. The kid was a little chubby and had longer hair, kind of like…

Dak faltered for a second, and turned away. Max would’ve liked this place.

He stared off into space for a while, wondering how his sister’s kid was doing and if he knew what they were up to. He made a note to himself in his mind palace to take Max here one of these days. Kid deserved it.

The four of their heads turned to look around as an omniscient voice boomed around them. Some safety stuff, and then… something about a headless horseman? The lights slowly shifted to red, making the air feel more sinister than it should in this kind of place. Hooves could be heard on the pavement, and what they saw next was pretty interesting.

It was a headless guy on a horse, and in his hand was a jack o'lantern. A cool effect.

The parade continued, every bit very Halloween themed. There was a moving gazebo with Minnie, Mickey, Donald and Daisy inside, and Dak couldn’t help but yell “I love you” at Daisy Duck. She must have heard it, cause she blew a little kiss at him.

Yeah, this was definitely a good day.

~~*~~

When everything was said and done, crowds began to shuffle out of the park while they still could. The Neoscum crew was in that crowd, and they were thankful to be back out in the parking lot they last left Xanadu in. If you looked at them, you could tell that they had a good time. Pox’s pockets were full to the brim with candy and sweets, not the mention her very full bag from the treat lines.

Tech was smiling, a little flushed from the sun and happiness he had felt right before leaving. He never really got to ask anyone if actual magic was involved, but one day he will. If it is, he needs to learn how to cast it like that. After all, he still wanted to use his powers to make people happy.

Zenith was surprisingly happier than he thought he would be. The parade was fun, he got candy, and… a little piece of him felt like it came back. He still didn’t remember anything from his past, and he doubted Disney had any part in it, but something in him was satisfied at having an easygoing day like today.

Oddly enough, Dak was really the only one who was a little disheartened. He had a great time, and he needed to thank his friend Surley, but the trucker really wished he could have brought Max with him. Would he have liked the Haunted Mansion? Meeting the Mad Hatter? Dak sighed, but made himself stand up straight. There’s always next time.

They got to Xanadu, all of them hopping into the front while Pox took pretty much all of the candy and went to the back of the cabin.

“Don’t eat all of it. There’s three other people here and we like candy too.” Zenith attempted, but she was already stuffing her face and he doesn’t think he’s going to make any form of contact with her while she’s like this.

Their day was over, and it was time to get back on the road. Needless to say, it was a pleasant experience. Free candy, free food and a fun atmosphere that made them forget all of the problems that chase them down on the open road you call life. God, that was too deep of a line. How lame.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so so much for reading! neoscum means so much to me and i hope you enjoyed the crew having a fun time!
> 
> i'm on twitter @ lapinscribbles!


End file.
